From the Caledon Institute comes a paper on reforming Canada's income security programs and supportive services for working-age adults, which Caledon has dubbed "adult benefits." The first part of the paper explains why current programs – especially welfare and Employment Insurance, the two core adult benefits – fail to meet the needs of working-age Canadians. Fundamental and comprehensive reform is required, through integrated changes to both federal and provincial/territorial programs and a realignment of governments’ roles and responsibilities. The second part offers our thinking on how to build a new architecture for adult benefits. Read the 37 page paper, Towards a New Architecture for Canada's Adult Benefits (in PDF).

The BC Government amended the Employment and Assistance Act, to include sections regarding the specific punishments for recieving more income assistance than the government gives or for recieving income assistance by giving false information.

A year-long appeal by 76 largely poor and elderly Indo-Canadian Farmworkers began in Tax Court in Vancouver on January 9th. The Farmworkers are appealing rulings by the Canada Revenue Agency that they did not work enough hours during the 1997 picking season to qualify for EI. BCPIAC and the Community Legal Assistance Society are working with the Farmworkers Legal Advocacy Program to assist 76 largely poor and elderly Indo-Canadian farmworkers in their appeal to the Tax Court of Canada against charges of EI fraud. Read the BCPIAC report for details about the farmworker's case (in PDF) and a CBC story: "B.C. farm workers fight EI fraud allegations."